The Idea of Meaningful Work

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The Idea of Meaningful Work Most careers start out as jobs that end up turning into lifelong endeavors. The idea is to find a career that is not only financially and socially successful, but also emotionally rewarding. The idea in the words “meaningful work” can represents two different things: the work we do is meaningful to society or others around us, and the idea that our work is meaningful to ourselves. In John Steinbeck’s “The Chrysanthemums,” there are three main characters that display their own form of meaningful work. Elisa Allen is a housewife and also an avid gardener. Her husband, Henry, is a successful ranch owner. The third character is an old drifter that peddles his services for a pittance. John Steinbeck emphasizes the ideas of meaningful work in showing how each of these characters have jobs that are important to themselves and how they are viewed differently by others around them. Elisa is the main character of the story and rightfully so because her idea of meaningful work displays the most controversy of the time period. Other than in poverty situations, women during this era generally did not work to help provide for the family. Most women of age were married and stayed at home raising children. A man’s work was seen as more important than a woman’s work. At thirty-five years old, Elisa has spent her whole adult life as a housewife. This is normal for a woman during the era, leaving the “bread-winning” to the husband. She keeps the house, described as “hard-swept” with “hard-polished windows, and a clean mud-mat,” very well kept and clean (582). Deep down, though, Elisa is not happy. Exercising her natural gift of “planter’s hands” is her real work (582). This is displayed in the numerous flowerbeds of red geraniums that surround the house and of course, and in Elisa’s prize chrysanthemum garden. Elisa’s passion for gardening,
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